If you read Brooklynne's blog, you already know that I got a Wii for Christmas. No joke, my arms and back are sore.

But here's what I really love about the Wii right now: the Wiiware and Virtualconsole features.

When I got the Gamecube 7 years ago, I thought I was in heaven. But it turned out that it was very difficult to collect games to play on the system. Most of the titles were at least $40, if not $50 or $60, and I just wasn't ever in a position to drop that much cash on more than a few games over the years. Fastforward to this year and I wondered if it would be a long time before I would have a good mix of games to go with the new Wii.

However, I was happy to discover that with the Wii's built-in wireless, I could easily connect to the Nintendo website and download games any time of the day or night without leaving the comfort of my own couch. Granted, these games are not the full-blown blockbuster hits that most people think of in connection with the latest, most powerful gaming systems. But there is a good mix of classic titles from past systems as well as new, innovative games that might be too quirky or unorthodox to win the backing of the big budget developer studios.

And perhaps the best part of the whole thing is that these lightweight games only cost $5-15. If you stay on the cheap end of the spectrum, you can get 10 of these games for the price of one full-sized title. This mix of nostalgia and fresh ideas at bargan basement prices makes me even more excited about the Wii.

Sure, I'll still splash out for a few big games this year, but in between, you'll find me playing a lot of Wiiware and Virtualconsole games and having a blast.

Although it really shouldn't matter to me, I was quietly happy when I read CNN's article noting that the Nintendo Wii has outsold both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 in every month since it was released. I here are the reasons why I think the news resonated with me:

1. I have a history with Nintendo, and I guess I'm sentimental.

2. My generation is the first to grow up with home video games, and as we get older, the other top brands have chased the aging market by featuring games with less innocence, more not-for-kids content, and a pursuit of realism, the value of which I question (I'm purposefully avoiding terms like "mature" and "adult content" because commercial culture has misappropriated these words). In contrast, Nintendo has continued to headline it's cartoonish characters, quality game experience, and a more healthy focus on fun, which de-emphasizes the lust for graphical (and plot) realism.

3. To top it off, Nintendo is rethinking how we play video games and reconnecting the physical and mental aspects of play. Even if it's just a small step, the consequences might be greater than we think. Example: after playing golf on the Wii, Brooklynne is excited about joining me in a round on a real course, an activity she had previously agreed to consider with hesitation.

So, here's to Nintendo. You won't find a Playstation in my house.